Ickleford

Two miles north of Hitchin lies Ickleford, where the Roman Icknield way crosses the confluence of the Rivers Hiz and Oughton. The bridge was built to replace the ford in the early part of the 19th century. It is said that the abbot of St Albans held his local court in an upper room of the George Inn next to the parish church of St Katherine.
An extract from from"North and East Hertfordshire Photographic Memories".

This view probably shows the fields and open ground at Lower Green, north of Ickleford and close to the Bedfordshire border. John Edwin Cussans, writing at the end of the 19th century, says that two miles north of Ickleford, Meppleshall was a detached part of Hertfordshire entirely surrounded by Bedfordshire. The county boundary cuts through the parlour of the old rectory, and an old oak beam in the fireplace was carved with the words: 'If you wish to go into Hertfordshire, Hitch in a little nearer the fire'.
An extract from from"North and East Hertfordshire Photographic Memories".

This charming timber framed cottage (with a relatively modern extension) is a typical product of the skill of local carpenters and builders. Arts and crafts have always been an important facet of this community. In the late 1800s, Walter Witter and his son, Carl, ran evening classes in tapestry and copper work. They began a local business, and in 1939 transferred the tapestry workshop to Cambridge, leaving the metalwork in the hands of local craftsmen, Olney and Newbury. A product of the tapestry workers, made for the Silver Jubilee of King George V, survived the disastrous fire at Windsor Castle in the late 1990s.
An extract from from"Hertfordshire Living Memories".

St Katharine was the patron saint of millers, saddlers, wheelwrights and teachers - all trades and professions which appropriately flourished in Ickleford. A tunnel leads from the church to the nearby Old George public house. It runs beneath the car park, but has now been blocked off. Built in the 12th century, St Katharine’s was reconstructed in 1859 by gift of the Ryder family under the direction of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. In the churchyard stands the grave of Henry Boswell, a gypsy king, who boasted that he lived through the reign of three Georges and that he knew every road in the land.
An extract from from"Hertfordshire Living Memories".

In 1901, Hermitage Road was a pleasant, open avenue. The building on the left in view 46642, left, is the Hermitage, home of Frederick Seebohm; very little of it still remains. Windmill Hill is just visible in the background.
An extract from from"Hitchin Town and City Memories".